Seeing her again after all these years caused a twinge of pining to flutter in my stomach. This wasn’t the first time Fancy returned to town since leaving. But this was the first time in a long while our paths crossed. Usually by the time I got word she was in Hume, she was already gone. But it sounded like her departure date was up in the air and I was interested in getting an audience with thesuperstar.
We’d grown up together, went to the same schools. It would be nice to catch up. Not that I had much to share. I was in the same spot she’d left me doing the same shit, fucking with the same people. All while she was a top charting country artist who’d met people and gone places I could only imagine. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy with the life I created. The nursery, my farm, and family. My life was ordinary by design.
“Were my eyes deceiving me or was that Francesca Palmer?” Dial asked, carrying a pot way too heavy for her.
I ran to where she stood. “I got it.”
“I’m good, Eddy.”
“Stop insulting me and put the pot down.” I was raised to be a good southern gentleman, which meant helping without being asked.
Dial complied; she knew better than to fuss with me about this. “So was it, Francesca?”
“Yeah, she came in with her mom.”
“How long’s she in town for?”
“She didn’t say.”
Dial sniffed, “I thought when she and Darla left Hume they had no plans of ever coming back.”
“Did she say that?” Dial didn’t care for Fancy, which was odd because they were technically family because of Maple.
“Words weren’t needed.” She wiped her hands on her faded jeans.
“Well looks like she’s here now. For a little bit anyways.”
Dial eyed me suspiciously. “Edison Birch, don’t you dare get entangled with that woman.”
“Whoa, wasn’t it you who just the other day told me I needed to find a lady friend?”
“I meant someone local and attainable. You’ve been chasing that girl around in your head since your freshman year.”
“In my defense I wasn’t the only fourteen-year-old boy with designs on Fancy.” Back in high school Francesca Palmer was like the dream girl from every tv show or movie. She had a smile that powered the hearts of all the young, hopeful suitors at Hume High. Fancy would walk the halls in her tattered jeans or floral dresses, her hair fluffy and big like a lion’s mane. Back in the day she hadn’t quite figured out how to manage her tightcurls. She was popular but she never played the mean girl. That role was reserved for Willa.
“Doesn’t she have a boyfriend?”
“I don’t give a fuck who she dates. You don’t have to worry about me. Our momma didn’t raise no fool. And my stance on settling down hasn’t changed.”
“I’m not a fool but you … you are a buffoon,” she teased, heading back into the nursery.
I scooped up the pot and set it with the rest on display. Dial was right. When I ran into Fancy inside the greenhouse, my heart kicked like a wild horse. Most times people graduate from high school and in a few years the realities of adulthood in a small town sinks in and weeds start growing around your feet while your hair thins and your midsection expands. But Fancy … she still had the shine on her.
Fancy Palmer was a distraction I didn’t need. I already had so much going on with the shop and my parents. In the nine or so years since she’d left Hume, I’d probably seen her in the flesh on one other occasion when she came home for her parents’ twenty-fifth anniversary. Damn near everyone in town was invited including me. But since then, we hadn’t crossed paths, and a part of me felt like Fancy was deliberately trying to avoid me.
I could be like a dog with a bone when my mind was ruminating on something or someone. It was clear as long as Fancy was in town I’d get no rest. Shit, maybe it was better finding out I’d missed her after the fact. Because knowing she was in town and us not talking didn’t sit right with me. I needed to forget, pulling out my phone, I texted the only person I knew could help.
Edison: Are you up for company tonight?
Willa: If it’s you, yes.
Edison: I’ll bring food. See you at seven.
From the moment I arrived, I knew Willa was the perfect distraction. She was wearing a dress which hugged her curves before flaring out. Her hair was in an effortless ponytail that swung in line with her hips when she walked. She flung her arms around me and her vanilla scent left me a bit lightheaded.Why had I been avoiding this woman again?
“Hello stranger.”
“Hi. I bought wings. I hope that’s good.”
